Sean

How to completely screw up car camping!

Earlier this week I published a post on my trip to Colorado. The trip wasn’t a backpacking trip. It was a full blown, car camping, glamping trip. I took a tent that stood 6’7″ tall so I could stand up to change clothes, a queen sized cot, a queen mattress, side table, and floor mats.

And it was almost all useless!

What I bought

Oh Amazon, you are my friend….and my enemy. I bought almost all the items on Amazon after doing a little research. One item came from REI and I had a few things already.

The Good

This thing was actually pretty good….when I ate at the campsite. I only used the saucepan, wooden spoon, and hotplate though. This is too heavy for backpacking so I’d leave it at home. But it was decent for car camping.

I can’t say this enough: I LOVE this daypack. It has plenty of room for the things I wanted to carry and has a receptacle for a hydration bladder. This was the main pack I used for daily excursions. My only complaint was getting my camera in and out of the pack. Although, I believe that’s more of a camera size issue than a flaw with the pack.

The Bad…or Average…or Unused

This really isn’t a bad product. My only real complaint is that it weighs a metric ton. I think the shipping weight was just under 40 lbs and the dry weight is like 36 lbs. It’s just too heavy. But it will work perfectly for a house guest.

I had only one opportunity to use this hammock and I decided it was a bigger pain in the ass to set up than to just sit in my camp chair with a footrest. I never even pulled it out to look at it. I decided my time was better spent sightseeing than lounging around in a hammock in beautiful Colorado.

The Ugly

This thing is a colossal piece of shit that worked exactly ONCE. My advice? Pony up the bucks and buy a solar charger.

I learned a lot of lessons on this trip. Mainly that I packed too much crap and really need to downsize. I wasted so much time and energy getting ready and then it turned into a pain in the ass to take it all down.

If you want to car camp, here’s my advice.

Buy a decent tent to fit your group size. If it’s just you and your partner, but a 3/4 person tent. Don’t worry about standing up. It’s camping. Be uncomfortable!

Leave the air mattress at home and buy a decent sleeping pad. Then use a sleeping bag, NOT a queen sized air mattress with full bedding.

Buy food each day or you’ll spend half your budget buying ice for the coolers.

Dump the frills. I didn’t need the hammock, three coolers, the large stove, hiking poles (my big hike was rained out), or a fraction of the clothes I brought.

Remember, the campsite is a place to sleep, like a hotel, not a playground. You’ve traveled to an exotic location. Go see exotic things. Don’t sit around the campsite all day. If you get out, you won’t need all the useless junk I packed.

And lastly, have fun, be dirty, make friends with your fellow campers, and enjoy the trip. I met some cool people, even if for only a few minutes.